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Maricopa County Says It Will Seek Death Penalty in 2023 Murder of Mercedes Vega

05:18 AM, 12/05/2025
Maricopa County Says It Will Seek Death Penalty in 2023 Murder of Mercedes Vega

Maricopa County prosecutors announced they will seek the death penalty if two men are convicted in the 2023 murder of 22-year-old Mercedes Vega. Court filings say the killing was carried out in an "especially heinous" manner and may have been intended to obstruct or retaliate against law-enforcement cooperation. The two defendants face charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping and arson; a third suspect has not been targeted for the death penalty and is not in Maricopa custody.

Maricopa County Seeks Death Penalty in Mercedes Vega Killing

Prosecutors with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced they will seek the death penalty if two men are convicted in the 2023 killing of 22-year-old exotic dancer Mercedes Vega.

In court filings submitted Wednesday, prosecutors say 29-year-old Cudjoe Young and 23-year-old Sencere Hayes carried out the killing in what they describe as an "especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner." The filings allege the defendants murdered Vega to prevent her cooperation with an official law-enforcement investigation, to stop her testimony in court, or in retaliation for her cooperation.

Young and Hayes were indicted on multiple charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping, arson, theft and armed robbery with a deadly weapon. Hayes also faces a separate count of hindering prosecution. Jail records show Young is being held on $2.2 million bond and Hayes on $4 million. Their attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A third man charged in the case, 26-year-old Jared Gray, has not been served with a notice of intent to seek the death penalty; the county attorney's office declined to explain why. A sheriff's office spokesperson said Gray is not currently in Maricopa County custody. Earlier this year, Gray had his probation revoked in an unrelated Georgia theft case and was ordered to serve the remainder of a five-year sentence there.

Separately, prosecutors say Young is awaiting trial on allegations that he robbed Vega at gunpoint in 2020 and attempted to rob another exotic dancer weeks later; he has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Authorities say Vega was abducted from the parking garage of her apartment building on April 16, 2023. Her body was later discovered burned, beaten and shot in an abandoned car on an interstate west of Phoenix.

Investigators have not publicly detailed how the three defendants are connected, but an arrest-warrant affidavit notes that all three have ties to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The affidavit also cites evidence linking Young to the vehicle where Vega's body was found and fingerprints connecting Gray and Hayes to the killing.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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